Assembly generates less revenue

Kwahu Afram Plains

Donkorkrom (E/R), May 30, GNA – The Kwahu Afram Plains North District Assembly could only raise Gh¢600.00 a week from its internally generated sources which is woefully inadequate to run the administration of the assembly due to the high poverty rate among the people in the district.

The District Chief Executive, Mr Windharm Emil Afram, has therefore called for external support and increase in the assembly’s share of the common fund to finance infrastructure to enhance the living standards of the people.

Mr. Afram made the call when the General Manager of Ghana News Agency (GNA) Dr Bernard Otabil led the Management Team of the GNA Media Auditing and Development Tracking Project to the district to meet stakeholders in the project at the district and called on him at his office at Donkorkrom.

The assembly could not generate more funds internally because it lost most of the sources for internally generated revenue to the Kwahu Afram Plains South District which was carved from the Kwahu Afram Plains North District.

A pontoon, which was generating some revenue for the assembly and was plying between the district and the Kpando District in the Volta Region sunk when it was taken for repairs at Akosombo some five years ago and had not been replaced. .

Mr. Afram said the district with a population of 120,000 people out of which 120 communities are on the Dwarf and Digya Island could be reached only by boat.

He said from the district to Koforidua, the regional capital is 347 kilometers and they had to spend three days to attend a one day meeting at Koforidua as they had to spend the night at Koforidua prior to the meeting and after the meeting they could not cross the Afram River with the pontoon at the close of the meeting.

The District Chief Executive said the assembly’s external sources of revenue were the District Development Fund (DDF) and the District Assembly Common Fund which are not released regularly.

Dr Otabil said the objective of the project being sponsored by Star-Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) was to improve transparency and accountability in the district.

He said the district has a lot of tourism potentials for lake transportation which could be developed for water sports for holiday makers to generate revenue for the assembly.